I take such good travel photos of myself that people swear I have a secret photographer. Here's how I do it.

A smartphone tripod is the No. 1 thing I pack on any trip or hike. With many available that extend to various lengths, it's the extra pair of hands I need.

I have a smaller tripod that fits into purses or tote bags and a taller one I keep in my backpack.

Setting up the tripod is easy; if I have a flat surface, I can position it to the perfect angle to execute my vision. From there, taking a video, using the self-timer, or using a remote shutter to capture amazing photos is easy.

Although I do have a more professional DSLR camera, smartphone cameras work great in most instances and are much easier to travel with.

Although it's perfectly fine to start a self-timer on a phone or camera, run into the shot, and then run back to ensure it was just right, I've discovered a much more efficient photo hack.

I use the Bluetooth connection between my smartphone and smartwatch to create a remote shutter and snap a picture.

I can see the frame on my watch face, making it easy to position myself perfectly in the frame and release the shutter remotely without running back and forth to the tripod.

I use Apple products, where the camera app is built in, but other smartwatches and phones also have apps that can be used similarly.

I always make sure to enable live photos on my iPhone, which records the 1.5 seconds before and after the photo is taken. This allows me to pick whichever shot, or key photo, I like best after.

This is useful for shots that show movement or have slight expression changes or moving backgrounds. I love that I can choose a different key photo and revert to the original if needed.

I can even use the feature to convert a photo to a video.

I edit my photos professionally and efficiently on the go, using apps like Lightroom to ensure the colors and clarity fit my overall aesthetic.

With so many apps on the market for photo editing, it helps me to stick with one or two and learn how to use them in the best way possible to get the results I want.

With Lightroom, I can save combinations of edits and use them repeatedly, making editing quick, easy, and cohesive.

There are times when it's not possible to set up a tripod, but I still want to get some photos in a beautiful location.

In those instances, I may ask someone to snap a photo or two of me — and, of course, I return the favor.

If I'm being honest, I don't share most photos others take of me online because they don't fit my vision. To mitigate this, I'll first take a photo of them in the exact framing and positioning I'd like a photo of myself.

Then, I show them the photo and ask them to take one of me in the same way — making it much more likely I get the shot I want.

If appropriate, I'll sometimes show the person an example photo of the framing I want and ask for that exact positioning.